It’s Unequivocal: Past Decade Was Warmest
The decade 2000-2009 was the warmest worldwide since the instrumental record began, according to NOAA’s recently released 2009 State of the Climate Report. The report is based on observations of some 37 different parameters measured around the world; record length varies, but many go back to the latter half of the 19th century. Some 300 scientists participated in the collection and analysis of the data.
Not only was the recent decade the warmest, but it was the third successive decade to set the record, indicating the presence of a strong warming trend over the last 30 years. The report identifies ten key climate trends that support the warming-planet conclusion. Seven indicators are rising: air temperature over land, sea-surface temperature, air temperature over oceans, sea level, ocean heat, humidity and tropospheric temperature in the “active-weather” layer of the atmosphere closest to the Earth’s surface. Three indicators are declining: Arctic sea ice, glaciers and spring snow cover in the Northern Hemisphere.
NOAA’s summary of the report is available here.